Sheep, though fewer, still outnumber people in New Zealand

WELLINGTON — New Zealand’s sheep outnumber people by fewer than five to one, official figures showed on Monday, clipping their lead over humans to the lowest level since the 1850s.

New Zealanders have far fewer of the woolly grazers than their Australian rivals, said the government body Stats NZ, despite frequently being the butt of their sheep jokes.

The national flock fell by 400,000 sheep — or 2% — to 25.3 million in June 2022, said New Zealand’s newly released five-yearly census of agricultural production.

“The ratio of sheep to people dropped below five to one in 2022, for the first time since the 1850s, when national sheep numbers were first recorded,” said Stats…

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